ES2940889T3 - electrochemical filter apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a process apparatus and associated method comprising at least one elongated hollow semi-permeable element, at least one anode and at least one cathode. The anode and cathode are arranged radially and concentrically with respect to the semi-permeable element. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

electrochemical filter apparatus

General description

The present invention relates generally to a process for the treatment of a liquid contaminated or polluted with unwanted organisms such as organic or non-organic contaminants. The invention relates especially, but not exclusively, to the treatment of seawater, polluted water or polluted water.

Background

A wide range of unwanted organisms, organic and non-organic compounds are found in natural, industrial and municipal waters, including seawater. Some of these contaminants pose serious problems due to their resistance to biodegradation and/or toxic effects or may cause undesirable effects when used in further processing or discharged into a new environment. Therefore, removal or neutralization of these contaminants is desirable and is most often required by law before proceeding.

Currently, numerous primary, secondary and even tertiary processes are used for the treatment of these polluted waters that lead to the elimination or neutralization of contaminants. They include physical and chemical processes such as precipitation, filtration and treatment with chlorine, ozone, ultraviolet sterilization, to name just a few.

However, the applications of these mechanical and chemical processes are not without their challenges. For example, filtration alone to a high degree requires high pressure losses and therefore energy loss. Inefficient mixing, injection and application of treatment chemicals leads to treatment overdose which adds to operating costs and can create further problems with by-product disposal. Electrochemical processes, where used, are generally inefficient, bulky, have high capital cost, and consume high amounts of energy.

US3915822 discloses an electrochemical system with bed sections having variable gradient, the use of which requires that the electrolyte be chemically preconditioned or filtered to remove foreign matter that may be detrimental to the electrochemical reaction.

The present invention provides an alternative solution to those currently available and specifically provides an improved process apparatus with a number of technical advantages.

Brief description of the invention

The essential features for carrying out the invention are defined in independent claim 1, further aspects of the invention are defined by the features of the dependent claims. Viewed from the first aspect, there is provided a process apparatus for the treatment of contaminated water or liquid, the process apparatus comprising at least one filter element, the filter element being an elongated hollow semi-permeable member arranged to remove organisms, organic or non-organic contaminants of a water or liquid contaminated above a defined filtration size specification when at least one anode and at least one cathode are used, where the at least one anode and at least one cathode are semi-permeable of so that the liquid can pass through them. The anode and the cathode are arranged radially and concentrically with respect to the filter element, and the at least one anode and the adjacent cathode are energized by means of an electrical supply arranged in use to generate a potential difference and an electrical current between them. an anode and an adjacent cathode, wherein at least one anode and one cathode are elongated and each is arranged circumferentially and radially around the filter element such that, in use, liquid flows to the process apparatus through one or both ends of the filter element and radially outward through a wall of the filter element.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, an unconventional arrangement is provided where at least one pair or group of anode and cathode are located around a hollow semi-permeable member. This hollow semi-permeable member can advantageously function as a conventional filter to separate debris from a liquid flowing through it. The concentrically and radially located anodes and cathodes provide a means for performing electrolysis on the water or liquid immediately adjacent to the semi-permeable member. Such an arrangement can advantageously provide a compact process apparatus arrangement incorporating conventional filtration and a compact integrated electrolysis function.

In effect, adjacent anodes and cathodes alternate between the cathode and an anode to define one or a plurality of electrolysis zones between them.

The sequence of anodes and cathodes can be selected according to the particular application that can be determined based on desired water or liquid flow capacity, as an example. The anticipated composition of the water or liquid may further determine the configuration of the anodes and cathodes. Advantageously, the anode/cathode arrangement or sequence when viewed radially outward from the filter element is selected from the following:

(i) Cathode, Anode;

(ii) Anode, Cathode;

(iii) Anode, Cathode, Anode;

(iv) Cathode, Anode, Cathode;

(v) Anode, Cathode, Anode, Cathode;

(vi) Cathode, Anode, Cathode, Anode;

(vii) Cathode, Anode, Cathode, Anode, Cathode; either

(viii) Anode, Cathode, Anode, Cathode, Anode.

Alternatively, the semi-permeable member may be in the form of a blind hole, thus directing water or liquid drawn into the member radially outward.

In an alternative configuration, the apparatus can be adapted, by means of suitable housing and inlet and outlet ports, such that liquid flows radially inward into the apparatus through a wall of the elongated semi-permeable member and out of the apparatus along the length of the apparatus. along the elongated axis of the semi-permeable elongated member. In effect, the flow is reversed.

The anodes and cathodes may be located circumferentially and radially around the elongated hollow semi-permeable member, ie, on the exterior of the member. Alternatively, and optionally in combination with the reverse flow discussed above, the anodes and/or cathodes may be arranged circumferentially and radially within the elongated hollow semi-permeable member. This allows a very compact apparatus to be built.

The anodes and cathodes can be formed in various configurations with respect to the flow of water or liquid in which the electrolysis is performed. For example, the anodes/cathodes may be in the form of a mesh or gauze shape such that water or liquid can conveniently pass through, while optimizing the contact area of the anodes and cathodes.

Advantageously, the anodes and cathodes should be separated by a selected distance to optimize the electrolysis for the given application. In this particular apparatus it has been established that for electrolysis in water, for example, the spacing of adjacent anodes and cathodes can be between 0.1 and 10 mm.

The anodes and cathodes are advantageously controlled by means of a suitable electrical controller so that they can be electrically energized to cause electrolysis to occur. Therefore, at least one anode and an adjacent cathode can be activated by means of a power supply arranged in use to generate a potential difference and an electric current between an anode and an adjacent cathode.

The controller can be adapted to allow independent control of anodes and/or cathodes which can be arranged in pairs or in groups or alternatively regions around and/or along the apparatus. Thus, pairs or groups of adjacent anodes and cathodes can define pairs or groups of electrodes and the pairs or groups of electrodes can be independently and selectively electrically activated. This advantageously provides a highly controllable apparatus in response to indications such as water or liquid content/contamination. It also facilitates efficient operation of the process apparatus.

The controller can be further adapted to allow the polarity of a power supply of one or more anodes and/or cathodes to be reversed to cause an opposite potential difference and electrical current between a respective anode and cathode. This allows the anodes and cathodes to be 'cleaned' by reversing polarity as described later.

The anodes and cathodes can be formed from a range of materials tailored according to the application of the process apparatus. Advantageously, the anode, for example, can be formed by a conductive substrate and an external coating. Especially, the anode may be a dimensionally stable anode (DSA) formed by a substrate coated with selected precious metals, for example, platinum, gold, silver or a mixed metal oxide solution of precious metals including the aforementioned metals and others such as iridium, palladium, osmium, ruthenium, platinum, rhodium or tantalum. Alternatively, the anode may be a boron doped diamond (BDD) anode formed from a boron doped diamond coated substrate.

Additionally, the cathode can be formed by a conductive substrate and optionally an external coating.

The anode and/or cathode substrate and/or cladding material for one pair or group of electrodes may be the same or may be different from the anode and/or cathode substrate and/or cladding material for another pair or group of electrodes. . This provides a versatile process apparatus.

The controller can advantageously be adapted to receive a number of inputs that can be used alone or in combination to control the anodes and cathodes. The inputs may be from suitable detectors arranged within the apparatus or alternatively, or additionally, within an upstream or downstream flow path of the water or liquid entering or leaving the apparatus. This thereby provides a control loop to, for example, continuously monitor and control the electrolysis within the apparatus to achieve desired output characteristics.

The cathodes and anodes can be controlled independently and simultaneously in response to these sensed inputs. For example, the process apparatus may, as described above, comprise different pairs or groups of anodes and cathodes with different electrolytic properties to achieve different chemical reactions. The controller can then make a determination as to the flow of water or liquid through the apparatus and control the anodes/cathodes in accordance with a predetermined desired output. Similarly, any deviation from a desired output can advantageously be detected and the controller can take corrective action by controlling the anode/cathodes accordingly.

The detector can be adapted to detect a number of properties. Advantageously, in a water application, the detector can be adapted to detect the conductivity of the water and the control system can automatically actuate to switch between different pairs or groups of electrodes when necessary, as described above. Alternatively or additionally, the detector can be adapted to detect any residual chemical concentrations or other variables before or after the process apparatus and adjustments can be made automatically to the applied electrical voltage and current, depending on local water or liquid conditions. contaminated. Residual chemical concentrations depend on the water or liquid being treated and its content and may be those of unused oxidants such as fluorine, hydroxyl free radicals, forms of oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorite, chlorine, and total residual oxidants.

The process apparatus itself can be provided with a single elongated semi-permeable member to provide a highly compact process apparatus. Alternatively, a plurality of elongated hollow semipermeable members and a plurality of pairs or groups of cathodes and anodes associated therewith may be provided to increase the capacity of the apparatus. These can be arranged within a compact unit having a common inlet/outlet or separately as a battery of individual units and the plurality of elongated hollow semi-permeable members can be arranged to allow the flow of water or liquid in series or parallel or recirculated.

It will be recognized that aspects of the invention extend to methods of use and operation of the process apparatus described above including, but not limited to, a method of processing a water or liquid by passing a water or liquid to through an apparatus as described herein.

Description of the figures

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figures 1a to 1g illustrate how electrode pairs or groups align in a novel non-obvious manner with the hollow semi-permeable member in the various configurations disclosed;

Figures 2a to 2d illustrate how pairs of electrodes aligned in a novel non-obvious manner with the hollow semi-permeable member could be installed in a common housing with the inclusion of an automatic backwash mechanism;

Figures 2e and 2f illustrate the process apparatus in cross section and the path of flow of water or liquid without the inclusion of an automatic backwash mechanism; and

Figure 3 provides an example of how the process apparatus can be configured in a treatment process for treating a contaminated liquid or water.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternate forms, specific exemplary embodiments are shown in the drawings and are described herein in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings and accompanying detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but rather that the invention should cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention. .

Detailed description

As discussed herein, the present invention provides a more efficient and compact approach leading to a reduction in energy requirements and more economical treatment of large volumes of contaminated water or liquid. In particular, the elimination or neutralization of contaminants in the water or treated liquid.

In the present invention, the first integrated subsystem comprises a solid-liquid physical separation step that removes relatively larger organisms, organic and non-organic contaminants from a liquid or contaminated water above a defined filtration size specification. The solid-liquid physical separation step comprises at least one but advantageously several hollow semi-permeable members that function as filter elements arranged in a common housing having a common main inlet/outlet where contaminated water or liquid enters and exits.

Filter elements may be flat, but are arranged to be hollow in order to take advantage of space and surface area considerations and promote a more compact design. The hollow filter elements may be open at one end and closed at the other or they may be open at both ends to form filter element inlets that accept the contaminated water or liquid. In this case, the direction of the flow of water or contaminated liquid is from the inside to the outside of the hollow filter element. Or alternatively, the contaminated water or liquid can flow in a direction from outside to inside the hollow filter element and the ends of the hollow filter element can form outlets from the filter element.

Advantageously, the arrangement of the hollow filter elements acts to divert the flow of contaminated water or liquid in a generally perpendicular or radial direction toward and across the filter element surface of each filter element. Since the surface area of the filter element is preferably greater in area than the total cross-sectional area of the filter element inlets or outlets to the hollow filter element, the velocity of water or liquid is significantly reduced in the vicinity of the filter element. the surface of the filter element.

Hollow filter elements can be constructed using, but are not limited to, a wire-stranded sintered metal mesh method where multiple layers of metal mesh are sintered together with support structures to create a strong filter element that is capable of supporting its own weight. Or, the hollow filter element can be constructed from, but not limited to, advanced 3D braiding technologies whereby multiple layers of metal grid are tightly braided together to support one another without the need for additional sintering or support. .

Z Other types of filter element design can be incorporated. These filter elements can be constructed from, but are not limited to, natural or processed fiber, organic or synthetic man-made materials, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass, activated or natural carbon, ceramics, papers and plastics, Woven or sheet materials, non-woven materials, folded melt-spun materials, inorganic bonded porous media, mineral wool, glass fiber, carbon fiber, woven wire and grids, sintered wire grid, perforated plate, wedge wire and patterns membrane type or any combination thereof.

For filter elements, the filtration size specification is determined according to the organism, organic or non-organic properties that are required to be filtered. Therefore, the filtration size (ie, the size of the holes or flow paths through the filter element surface of the filter element) can be any suitable size depending on the level of filtration desired. For example, the filtration size of the filter elements can be selected, but not limited to, be <1, 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, 250, 500 microns or can be much larger, such as 1mm, 5mm, 10mm and larger, depending on the selected application.

As the flow of contaminated water or liquid passes in a direction generally perpendicular to and through the filter element surface of the filter elements, any organisms, organic or non-organic contaminants larger than the filter size specification will not it can pass through the filter element surface and become trapped on the filter element filter surface and begin to form what is known as a "cake" of filtrate. As the filter cake begins to accumulate, the pressure drop over the filter element increases, requiring frequent cleaning of the filter cake from the filter element surface of the filter element if maintenance is to be maintained. the filtration efficiency.

The filter cake can be removed by backwashing or by dismantling the new process apparatus and cleaning the filter elements manually or by machine. Alternatively, this cleaning process can advantageously be accomplished by use of an automatic backwash mechanism built into and integrated into the apparatus. Thus, an automatic backwash filtration process can be performed that can be set for continuous cleaning. Alternatively, it can be activated only when the pressure differential or pressure loss reaches a certain monitored level or it can be activated at current intervals or manually.

Various automatic backwash mechanisms and processes can be incorporated into the apparatus described herein that allow the filter element to be cleaned via a high velocity reverse flow of water across the surface of the filter element. This high velocity reverse flow of water separates the cake of matter from the filter surface of the filter element and carries it away for safe disposal. However, if the backwash stream contains residual chemicals, the backwash stream can be adequately neutralized prior to disposal. This automatic backwash process can be performed while the filter element is in use, thus allowing the filter element to continuously filter water while it is being cleaned. The disclosure of these automatic backwash processes and mechanisms is incorporated herein by reference to WO2006/008729 and WO2011/058556.

In the disclosed invention, the filter elements can be flat or have any cross-sectional shape or profile such as oval, square, triangular, star or other shapes, but preferably, the filter elements are provided with a circular cross-section to optimize and simplify the design of the preferred automatic backwash mechanism and the second integrated subsystem.

In the present invention, the second integrated subsystem comprises a chemical disinfection step whereby water or liquid and remaining organisms and organic and non-organic contaminants are exposed to the highly reactive products of an advanced oxidation process (AOP). , such as, but not limited to, hydroxyl (OH^), ozone (O ³ ) and hydrogen peroxide (H ² O ² ) free radicals.

Exposure of organic and non-organic organisms and contaminants to the highly reactive products of AOP effectively and efficiently neutralizes contaminants through oxidation. In addition, more persistent but not as reactive oxidative species such as chlorine or total residual oxidants (TRO) can also be produced and used to treat contaminated water or liquid.

Oxidation in this sense is defined as the transfer of one or more electrons from an electron donor (reductant) to an electron acceptor (oxidant), which has a higher affinity for electrons. This transfer of electrons results in the chemical transformation of both the oxidant and the reductant, in some cases producing chemical species with an odd number of valence electrons. These chemical species, known as radicals, tend to be highly unstable and therefore highly reactive because one of their electrons is unpaired. Radical-producing oxidation reactions tend to be followed by further oxidation reactions between radical oxidants and other reactants (both organic and inorganic) until thermodynamically stable oxidation products are formed.

One of the most powerful oxidants produced by an AOP are the OHv radicals. The OH radical is extremely reactive and is well known as a disinfectant agent. The OH radical is the most important oxidizing species found in nature, capable of neutralizing a large number of chemicals and attacking the porous cell walls of organisms, bacteria and viruses further destroying them. However, because the OH radical is so reactive, it is claimed that it is only effective at a very short distance from where it is produced. In general, the efficacy of an AOP is proportional to its ability to generate large amounts of OH radicals and there are several methods for the generation of OH radicals available in the prior art, however, in the disclosed invention, the preferred method is via from the use of an electrolysis method.

The electrolysis method produces various oxidants depending on the electrolyte (the water or liquid being treated), the material of the electrodes, and the overvoltage or standard potential applied to the electrodes. For example, the following reactions can take place when salt (NaCl) is present in water.

In a particularly effective electrolysis method, the apparatus may be adapted such that an electrolytic cell uses at least one distinct electrode pair, the electrode pair comprising an anode and a cathode. When only an anode and cathode are used, the electrode pair can be arranged in accordance with the invention so that the treated water first encounters an anode and then subsequently encounters a cathode. The prior art has found that this promotes and enhances further reactions between the reaction products generated at the anode, giving them it allows further reaction with the reaction products generated at the cathode.

It has also been established to help reduce the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and other toxic chlorinated products in chloride-containing water, such as seawater, by promoting additional side reactions that transform toxic products into non-toxic products and help to disinfect even plus the water of microorganisms.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the definition of the electrode pair can be extended to include two cathodes per anode to form one electrode group, with the anode preferably located between the two cathodes. In this case, the water first meets a cathode, then an anode, and then a cathode. A benefit of this arrangement is that the reaction products generated at the first cathode mix immediately with the reaction products generated at the anode surface which faces the direction of water flow, while the reaction products generated at the The anode surface that does not face the direction of the water flow immediately mix with the reaction products generated at the second cathode. In this way, both areas of the front and rear sides of the anode can be used in the most economical way.

The space between the cathodes and the anodes will form an electrolysis zone. The distance between the anode and the cathode of the pair of electrodes or the group of electrodes is preferably small and between tenths of a millimeter and a few millimeters. The main reason for this is to ensure that the highly reactive products of the AOP are in close proximity to each other. An additional reason is to minimize the voltage and current levels and therefore the power required for the AOP.

The above arrangement is not limited to a single layer of electrode pairs and can be further extended to include multiple layers of electrode pairs or groups effectively arranged so that contaminated water encounters the multiple electrode pairs or groups in series. If more than one electrode pair or electrode group is used in series, then the minimum distance between each subsequent electrode pair or electrode group is preferably greater than the distance between the anode and cathodes of the electrode pair or electrode group. precedent to ensure that each pair of electrodes or group of electrodes functions independently. This separation can be achieved by a suitable assembly or assembly that supports the electrodes and maintains the correct positions relative to each other. Non-conductive spacers between the anode and cathode can be used to maintain the correct dimensions of the electrolysis zone.

The electrolytic cell also comprises means for applying a voltage across the anode and cathode and means for supplying a direct current (DC) to the electrode pair or electrode group. The means for applying the voltage and current may be provided by a conventional rectifier or some other method. Depending on the conductivity of the polluted water stream, the parameters of the supplied voltage and direct current can be manipulated with the rectifier to obtain optimum conditions. The electrical connection between the electrodes and the electrical current and voltage supply can be monopolar (connected in parallel) so that the charging current and cell voltage of each pair of electrodes can be individually adjusted, or it can be bipolar (connected in series). ) depending on the preferred tradeoff between current efficiency versus voltage efficiency.

The electrolytic cell may advantageously incorporate an additional mechanism for cleaning the electrodes. In particular, to clean the cathode of unwanted cathode deposits typically found in electrolytic cells of this nature. It has been established that this can be accomplished by polarity reversal (PR) or by clean-in-place (CIP). For polarity reversal, the same material is used for both the anode and cathode and the electrical current is reversed in polarity when cathodic deposits have started to affect the efficiency of the electrolytic cell. When electric current is reversed in polarity, the cathode becomes an anode and the clean anode becomes a cathode, therefore each electrode has a dual role. The disadvantage with PR is that the cost of the electrolytic cell increases as both the anode and cathode require appropriate protective surface coatings. For the CIP method, separate anodes and cathodes are used that have only a single function and cathodic deposits are removed by introducing, for example, an acid that is brought into contact with the electrodes and left for a period of time. Once the cathode deposits are dissolved by the acid, the electrolytic cell is emptied and normal electrolysis begins again. For the CIP method, only the anode requires appropriate surface coatings which are typically expensive, thus reducing cost.

Furthermore, if an electrode array described above is used, consisting of a cathode followed by anode followed by a cathode, the surface area of the cathode increases and the cathode current density (which can be described as amps per m2) is reduced. ). This reduces the growth of cathode deposits and the cleaning requirement, since for cathode deposits, the growth rate versus current density has a known definite relationship.

Materials such as, but not limited to, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum or niobium, iridium, ruthenium, palladium, stainless steel, nickel, silicon, glassy carbon, graphite, polymers, carbides, conductive ceramics, and composites such as Ebonex are some few common electrode materials used. For the anode, a dimensionally stable anode (DSA) can be fabricated by using one of the above materials as a substrate and coating the surface of the substrate material with precious metals such as platinum, gold, silver, or a mixed metal oxide solution of metals. precious including the metals mentioned above and others such as iridium, palladium, osmium, ruthenium, platinum, rhodium or tantalum. However, recent developments in electrode material and electrode structure have allowed OH radicals are produced much more efficiently by an AOP. In particular, a boron doped diamond (BDD) anode offers significant advantages where one of the above materials can be used as a substrate and is surface coated with boron doped diamond films. For the cathode, a coating similar to the anode may be used or the cathode may be uncoated depending on the cleaning method described above.

BDD electrodes are extremely stable, have excellent corrosion properties, and possess unique electrochemical properties that allow for a much larger electrochemical potential window than other electrodes. Compared to a platinum coating, the electrochemical window is nearly doubled. This unique property allows the generation of OH radicals directly in the water without the addition of any other chemicals or conditioning with high current efficiency with the process being easily scalable by simply adjusting the electrical power required.

In the present invention, the geometric structure of the substrate for the electrodes may be permeable with a partially open surface area that allows contaminated water to flow through the electrode pairs or electrode groups, thus allowing maximum surface area contact for the generation of OHv radicals The electrode structure can be expanded mesh electrode, knitted or woven mesh electrode, sintered or foamed mesh electrode, knitted electrode, dispersed electrode and types of lattice electrode.

Careful selection of the material and geometric structure of the electrodes promotes the efficiency of the electrolytic process and reduces/increases the occurrence of certain undesired reactions and by-products, for example, a reduction in hydrogen generation. Or it can increase the occurrence of certain reactions, for example, an increase in chlorine production or total residual oxidants depending on the preferred end result. The efficiency of the electrolytic process and therefore the AOP can be greatly increased by using these 3D meshes, especially those with relatively small openings, such as the knitted or woven mesh electrode, as contaminants are seen. forced to be in close proximity to (and therefore more likely to react with) the fast-reacting products at the anode, i.e., OH ^v radicals

The two subsystems discussed above could naturally be placed in series as separate individual treatments, however, the inventor has found that when the individual subsystems are integrated in a non-obvious manner, it provides all the highly advantageous benefits of a new process apparatus. In particular, the efficiency of the treatment process can be increased by allowing a reduction in energy requirements per cubic meter of water treated. This advantageously provides a more environmentally friendly treatment process as the associated CO ² production also decreases as less energy is required.

In order to achieve these advantages, the anodes and cathodes are aligned in a non-obvious manner. The anodes and cathodes of the pair of electrodes or groups of electrodes of the second integrated subsystem are aligned both longitudinally and concentrically forming a concentric electrolyser zone and are also aligned both longitudinally and concentrically to the filter surface of the hollow filter element of the first subsystem integrated. In the case of flat filter surfaces, the flat electrode pairs or electrode groups align with the flat filter surfaces.

The pairs of electrodes or groups of electrodes in one aspect outside the scope of the invention may be placed inside the filter element when water flows from the outside of the filter element to the inside or, within the scope of the invention, they are placed out of the filter element when water flows from the inside of the filter element to the outside. This direction of flow allows for ease of construction and compactness of the automatic backwash mechanism if used. The distance between the pairs of electrodes or groups of electrodes and the surface of the filter element is ideally small to optimize the footprint of the process apparatus, and is typically of the same order of magnitude as the distance between the cathode and the anode discussed above. .

Aligning the electrode pairs or electrode groups both longitudinally and concentrically with the filter surface of the filter element allows the present invention to take advantage of the aforementioned reduced water velocities and therefore increased water residence times. contaminated in the vicinity of the filter element. Since for a given flow rate, contaminated water enters with a fixed velocity at one or both ends of the filter element and then spreads, slows, and deflects in a direction primarily perpendicular to and across the filter surface of each filter element. filtration. Since the filtering surface area of the filter element is preferably greater than the area of the filtering inlets (or filtering outlets if the flow of contaminated water is reversed), the velocity of the water is significantly reduced. This allows a longer period of time for the reaction products generated at the cathodes and anodes to react in the vicinity of the location where they are generated before they are transported out of the electrolysis zone. This provides a higher efficiency of treatment of the reaction products.

As mentioned, the above arrangement is not limited to a single layer of electrode pairs or electrode groups and can advantageously be further extended to include multiple layers of electrode pairs or groups effectively arranged in series to effectively apply effective repeated doses of chemical disinfection step in a single novel process apparatus. A further significant improvement available to the disclosed invention is that two or more different electrode pairs or electrode groups can be incorporated separately in series or partially superimposed. The advantage of this is that any one of the electrode pairs or electrode groups can be energized while the others cannot, or all or some of the electrode pairs or electrode groups can be energized at the same time. Depending on the material and geometric structure of the electrodes and the applied voltage and current, varying levels of reaction products can be generated, the amounts of which are tailored to the application in question.

For example, the combination of pairs or groups of electrodes can consist of a cathode, a BDD anode, a cathode, a DSA anode and finally a cathode. In this partially overlapping configuration, the central cathode serves the anode on each side thereof. The BDD anode works particularly well in low conductivity water while the DSA works particularly well in water that has a conductivity above 0.2% sodium chloride. This would allow, for example, the possibility of treating very low conductivity waters with OH radicals produced by the BDD electrodes or treatment from the production of reaction products such as chlorine or total residual oxidants (TRO) with the DSA electrodes minus expensive in more conductive waters. Or, both types of reaction products can be generated simultaneously. At the time of writing this article, the inventor is not aware of an electrolytic cell that has two or more different types of electrodes within a single unit and believes that this is a new invention by itself.

A further advantageous extension of the invention is obtained if the filter element is constructed of the same material as the cathode, as this may allow the filter element itself to act as a cathode in a single anode-cathode pair or group. of anode electrodes of two cathodes and one anode. This would provide the benefit of ensuring that contaminants are very close to (and therefore much more likely to react with) the reaction products generated at the cathode if desired, however increased cleaning intervals may be required. if the filter element has a relatively small filter size, as cathodic growths can act to effectively block the filter element. This can be reduced in practice if an automatic backwash process is applied, since the automatic backwash process acts continuously to clean the filter element. In this tightly integrated configuration, the integrated subsystems become totally dependent on each other for operation, as the filter element becomes part of the electrolysis unit and the electrolysis unit becomes part of the filter element. Consequently, the footprint of the new process apparatus is reduced.

A still further advantageous extension of the invention is obtained if the filter element is allowed to function as the anode provided surface coating methods suitable for low filter sizes are available. This provides an extremely advantageous effect, as the contaminants are forced into close proximity to (and therefore much more likely to react with) the highly reactive reaction products at the anode, i.e. OH radicals. In this case, cathodic growths are not a problem since the filter element acts as an anode. Similarly, in this tightly integrated configuration, the integrated subsystems become totally dependent on each other for operation, as the filter element becomes part of the electrolysis unit and the electrolysis unit becomes part of the filter element. . This also allows the footprint of the new process apparatus to be reduced.

In this configuration, care must be taken to ensure that the anode does not become clogged with contaminants, so the automatic backwash process, if used, may need to be much more frequent to keep the filter element filter surface clean. Also, if a more efficient AOP is applied, then the filtration size specification can be increased, as more residual reaction products would remain, as the application of the reaction products is highly directed and focused. The remaining residual reaction products could then act to disinfect or neutralize larger contaminants. This would result in reduced pressure losses and energy savings in pumping the contaminated liquid or water system. Or, a more efficient AOP system would allow the applied voltage or current to be reduced, resulting in reduced power usage.

A beneficial modification of the present invention is that the single or multiple layers of electrode pairs or electrode groups or even the filter element itself can be divided into subsections with non-conductive insulating spacers in between, thus effectively providing an array of subelectrode pairs. or groups of electrodes or filter sub-elements arranged in parallel. The dimensions of the non-conductive insulating spacers can be manually or automatically adjusted to precisely match the active areas and velocity of the water or liquid in the vicinity of the electrode pairs or electrode groups and filter element depending on the application. Additional benefits of this are that multiple current distributors (or electrical bus bars) can be included along the entire length of the electrode pairs or electrode groups to distribute electrical current more evenly over all electrodes, avoiding thus hot spots (due to local differences in electrical resistance) on the electrodes and promoting a more uniform generation of reaction products.

Therefore, in the present invention, highly advantageous effects are obtained resulting from a combination of reduced water or liquid velocities and increased residence times of the highly reactive reaction products, furthermore, certain tightly integrated configurations of the invention ensure that the contaminants are in very close proximity to the location where the reaction products are generated. This feature is of great benefit, since highly reactive OH radicals are very short-lived and therefore, as the efficiency of treatment of reaction products increases, a comparable reduction in energy consumption can be obtained.

The present invention also relates to a process for the treatment of a water or liquid contaminated with organic and non-organic organisms and contaminants covering a wide range of flow rates from very high to very low volumetric flow rates through the apparatus. process in which the treatment, water or liquid is applied which also has a wide range of properties from very high or very low conductivity from almost non-conductive to highly conductive.

As described, the process apparatus provides for the treatment of contaminated water or liquid through the use of an integrated solid-liquid physical separation step and a chemical sanitization step with an AOP. The solid-liquid separation step physically removes most larger contaminants above a certain filter size, while AOP produces OH radicals and other reactive oxidative species to treat contaminated water with a chemical disinfection step. Exposure of organic and non-organic organisms and contaminants to the highly reactive products of AOP effectively and efficiently neutralizes contaminants through oxidation. In addition, more persistent but not as reactive oxidative species such as chlorine or residual total oxidants may also be produced.

The range of contaminated water flow rate or liquid flow rate per square meter of the filtration surface of the filter element is large and depends on the selected filtration size and the pressure losses tolerated in the system.

Depending on the application, it may be beneficial to increase turbulence in the vicinity of the electrodes, as turbulence increases mixing and therefore mass transfer is promoted and improved.

As described herein, the single or multiple layers of electrode pairs or electrode groups or the filter element itself can be divided into subsections with non-conductive insulating spacers in between and the dimensions of the non-conductive insulating spacers can be manually adjusted. or automatically to fine tune the active areas (blocking some of the normal flow paths) of the electrode pairs or electrode groups or filter element depending on the application. Adjustment of the active areas of the electrode allows adjustment of the velocity of water or liquid and therefore increases or decreases turbulence for a given flow velocity. In addition, the surface of the electrodes may be scored, bumped, stamped or patterned to roughen and increase local turbulence near the electrodes, however the velocity and turbulence levels should not be so high as to cause losses of unwanted pressure or cavitation in the process apparatus.

The process apparatus can be linked to a control system such as a PLC and can be monitored locally by means of a PC or preferably can be remotely monitored, eg in a central control room. This allows sequences of operation, status messages, and alarms to be controlled, monitored, and logged. A chemical measuring device, for example a chlorine measuring device or TRO, can be incorporated to continuously monitor any residual chemical concentration or other variables following the process apparatus and adjustments can be made automatically to the applied electrical voltage and current, depending on local contaminated water or liquid conditions.

Pressure, flow rate, temperature, pH and conductivity and other variables of contaminated water or liquid can also be measured at various locations and the control system can act automatically to switch between DSA or BDD anodes when necessary, as described above, or adjust the voltage and current as necessary. Or occasionally, it may be desirable to adjust the conductivity or pH or other properties of the water or liquid contaminated with additives or neutralizers before it enters the process apparatus or when the treated water or liquid is withdrawn. A relatively small amount of residual chemicals can find its way out with the backwash flow from the automatic backwash mechanism to the environment if it is built in, in this case various properties of the backwash flow can be monitored and a unit of backwash can also be included. neutralization or conditioning to ensure that waste water or liquid is neutralized or conditioned on demand and is safe for disposal.

Additional components may be added to the treatment process to condition, remove, or improve the treatment process, such as adding a hydrogen removal system (or removal of other substances) or adding a vacuum pump to the process. backwash filtration that effectively increases the pressure differential used in the automatic backwash process and therefore its cleaning ability. As mentioned above, if the backwash stream contains unwanted residual chemicals, an appropriate neutralization component can be included to neutralize the backwash stream prior to disposal.

In certain cases, it may be desirable to operate the AOP with pulsed electrical current to further enhance the treatment of contaminated water or liquid. The pulsed charge can be discrete, triangular, sinusoidal or step and may or may not vary with time.

Thus, both large and small volumes of water or liquid can be treated effectively and efficiently. The novel process apparatus according to the present invention is advantageously scalable from very low flow rates to very high flow rates simply by adjusting the number of parallel arranged filter elements and the diameter and/or lengths of the filter elements. filtration within the same common housing that has a common input/output. Simultaneously, the number and dimensions of electrode pairs or electrode groups are also adjusted to suit. However, in certain cases it may be desirable to recirculate the treated contaminated water or liquid through the new process apparatus several times in order to reduce the footprint of the new process apparatus or to install completely separate process apparatus units in series or parallel like a battery.

The invention disclosed herein also relates to the use of the new process apparatus for the treatment of particularly, but not exclusively, water used in the production of drinking water, including the treatment of natural, domestic and industrial process water, waste water upstream and produced water from oil/gas exploration. in waters carried or used in spacecraft or waters carried or used by commercial, public and private transportation or waters carried or used in offshore facilities and the invention is especially useful when applied to seawater applications, wastewater applications and aquaculture applications, all of which can be found on land, in transport, or in floating or permanent units, such as floating aquaculture facilities (fish farms) or oil platforms, and can be applied to other facilities associated with oil production and gas.

The new process apparatus can also be effectively applied to industrial areas such as food and beverage processing, mineral and slurry processing, pharmaceutical processing, chemical processing, and power generation applications such as cooling water processing for power plants or water engine cooling. o Cooling water for heating/ventilation o Cooling water for refrigeration or heat exchangers and is not limited to water based liquids only, but could also be used to treat acids and alkalis with different chemical disinfection step and different materials and electrode configurations if necessary.

Additional application areas may be pesticide treatment, surfactant removal (for example, oil spills), color adjustment, pharmaceutical pre-treatment (for example, for cleanroom end use), and endocrine-disrupting chemical removal, toxic organic compounds, raw water disinfection, membrane cleaning sequences, fire fighting water, water treatment to provide growth prevention in sea chests and intake drawers for heat exchangers, to name just a few. The invention can also be used for the treatment of wastewater or marine water contaminated with radioactivity such as deactivation or neutralization of radioactive elements and particles.

Additional amounts of chemicals, additives or gases could be introduced before or in the vicinity of the electrodes, for example through porous electrodes or through non-conductive insulating spacers. Additional amounts of chemicals, additives, or gases could be chosen to produce preferential chemical reactions or to produce useful by-products. For example, excess oxygen gas introduced in this way could react with hydrogen produced at the cathode to minimize free hydrogen gas, or carbon and other chemicals could be introduced that react with hydrogen produced at the cathode to produce useful hydrocarbons. or its derivatives for use as fuel. Similarly, additional chemicals or additives or gases could be introduced in the vicinity of the electrodes to react with the other chemicals produced in the same way.

Now the embodiments will be described in more detail and with reference to the figures.

Returning to the figures, Figure 1a illustrates how a pair of electrodes can be aligned in a novel non-obvious way with the filter element.

The filter element is interchangeably described herein as a semi-permeable hollow member.

In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, as described herein, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The pair of electrodes in this case is arranged so that once it passes through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first meets the positive anode 2 and then the negative cathode 3. The electrolysis zone 4 between positive anode 2 and negative cathode 3. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

Figure 1b illustrates how an electrode group can be aligned in a novel non-obvious way with the filter element in a loosely integrated manner. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The electrode group in this case is arranged so that once it passes through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first encounters a negative cathode 3, then a positive anode 2, and then a negative cathode 3. The multiple zones of electrolysis 4 between positive anode 2 and negative cathodes 3. Electrical connections are not shown and dimensions in the drawing are exaggerated for clarity.

Figure 1c illustrates how multiple electrode pairs (or electrode groups) can be aligned in series in a novel non-obvious manner with the filter element. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The multiple pairs of electrodes (or groups) in this case are arranged separately so that once they pass through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first meets a positive anode 2 and then the positive anode 2. negative cathode 3 of the first pair of electrodes. Then an additional treatment is applied through the second pair (or group) of electrodes with the water or liquid that meets the positive anode 2 of the second pair of electrodes and then with the negative cathode 3 of the second pair (or group) of electrodes. . Similarly, multiple pairs (or groups) of electrodes can be arranged. The multiple electrolysis zones 4 between the electrode pairs (or groups) are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

Figure 1d illustrates how multiple electrode groups (or pairs) can be serially aligned in a novel non-obvious manner with the filter element in a loosely integrated manner. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The multiple groups of electrodes (or pairs) in this case are arranged partially superimposed and the positive anodes are made of two or more different materials, for example a BDD 2a anode and a DSA 2b anode. The 3 negative cathodes are made of a common material and share the central negative cathode. The multiple groups of electrodes (or pairs) are arranged so that once they pass through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first encounters a negative cathode 3 and then a positive anode 2a and then with the negative cathode 3 of the shared negative cathode. Further treatment is then applied as the contaminated water or liquid encounters the positive anode 2b of the second set of electrodes and then the negative cathode 3 of the second set of electrodes. Similarly, multiple groups (or pairs) of electrodes can be arranged. The multiple electrolysis zones 4a and 4b between the groups (or pairs) of electrodes are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

As discussed above, the advantage of the arrangement of Figure 1d (or 1c) is that either one of the groups (or pairs) of electrodes can be energized while the others cannot, or both groups of electrodes (or pairs) can be energized. can energize at the same time. Depending on the material and geometric structure of the electrodes and the applied voltage and current, varying levels of reaction products can be generated, the amounts of which are tailored to the application in question. This would allow, for example, the possibility of treating water or very low conductivity liquid with OH radicals produced by the BDD electrodes or treatment from the production of reaction products such as chlorine or total residual oxidants (TRO) with the electrodes. Less expensive DSA in water or more conductive liquid. Or, both types of reaction products can be generated simultaneously.

Figure 1e illustrates how an electrode group can be aligned in a novel non-obvious way with the filter element in a tightly integrated manner. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The electrode group in this case is arranged so that the filter element itself acts as a negative cathode and once it passes through the cathode of the negative filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid meets an anode. positive 2 and then a negative cathode 3. The multiple zones of electrolysis 4 are highlighted between the negative filter element cathode 1 and the positive anode 2 and negative cathode 3. Electrical connections are not shown and the dimensions of the drawing are exaggerated for more clarity.

Figure 1f illustrates how a pair of electrodes can be aligned in a manner, outside the scope of the invention, with the filter element in a closely integrated manner. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The pair of electrodes in this case is arranged in such a way that the filter element itself acts as a positive anode and once it passes through the anode of the positive filter element 1, the flow of contaminated water or liquid then encounters a positive anode. negative cathode 3. Electrolysis zones 4 between positive filter element anode 1 and negative cathode 3 are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

As discussed above, the arrangement shown in Figure 1e would provide the benefit of ensuring that contaminants are very close to (and therefore much more likely to react with) the reaction products generated at the cathode if desired. . Or the arrangement shown in Figure 1f provides an extremely advantageous effect, as the contaminants are forced into close proximity to (and therefore much more likely to react with) the highly reactive reaction products in the anode, i.e. the OHv radicals

In this tightly integrated configuration, the integrated subsystems become fully dependent on each other for operation, as the filter element becomes part of the electrolysis unit and the electrolysis unit it becomes part of the filter element. Consequently, the footprint of the new process apparatus is reduced. Also, if a more efficient AOP is applied, then the filtration size specification can be increased, as more residual reaction products would remain, as the application of the reaction products is highly directed and focused. The remaining residual reaction products could then act to disinfect or neutralize larger contaminants. This would result in reduced pressure losses and energy savings in pumping the contaminated liquid or water system. Or, a more efficient AOP system would allow the applied voltage or current to be reduced, resulting in reduced power usage.

Figure 1g illustrates how an electrode pair or electrode group can be aligned in a novel non-obvious manner with the filter element to provide a beneficial modification to the present invention. In this figure, the filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The electrode group in this case is arranged so that once it passes through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first encounters a negative cathode 3, then a positive anode 2, and then a negative cathode 3. Multiple electrolysis zones 4 between positive anode 2 and negative cathodes 3 are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

However, in Figure 1g, the single or multiple layers of electrode pairs or electrode groups are divided into subsections with non-conductive insulating spacers in between, thus effectively providing a series of sub-electrode pairs or electrode groups arranged in parallel. It is also possible that the filter element 1 itself can also be divided into subsections in the same way, however this is not shown. The dimensions of the non-conductive insulating spacers 5 can be manually or automatically adjusted to fine tune the active electrode (and seepage) areas and the velocity of water or liquid in the vicinity of the electrode pairs or electrode groups depending on the application. Additional benefits of this are that multiple current distributors (or electrical bus bars) 6 can be included along the entire length of the electrode pairs or electrode groups to distribute electrical current more evenly over the entire length of the electrode pairs or electrode groups. the electrodes, thus avoiding hot spots (due to local differences in electrical resistance) in the electrodes and promoting a more uniform generation of reaction products.

Although in Figure 1g, the individual electrodes are shown curved, the electrodes (and even the filter element itself if it is also divided into subsections) can be manufactured as flat parts to facilitate manufacturing and reduce the cost of the electrodes. Viewed from the same aspect, it would appear that the electrodes (and even the filter element itself) are formed into a type of polygonal (or approximate circle) shape having a number of discrete flat sides.

Depending on the application, it may be beneficial to increase turbulence in the vicinity of the electrodes, as turbulence increases mixing and therefore mass transfer is promoted and improved. Manual or automatic adjustment of the dimensions of the non-conductive insulating spacers 5 can then adjust the active areas of the electrode (and even the filter element itself if that is also divided into subsections) allowing adjustment of the velocity of water or liquid and , therefore, increases or decreases turbulence for a given flow velocity. In addition, the surface of the electrodes may be scored or embossed or patterned to roughen and increase local turbulence near the electrode pairs or electrode groups.

Figures 2a to 2d illustrate the typical arrangement described in Figure 1g in more detail. In this case, the arrangement of figure 1g is installed in a housing 7 which has a main inlet 8 and a main outlet 9 where contaminated water or liquid enters and leaves. The filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of contaminated water or liquid is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The electrode group in this case is arranged so that once it passes through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first encounters a negative cathode 3, then a positive anode 2, and then a negative cathode 3. Multiple electrolysis zones 4 between positive anode 2 and negative cathodes 3 are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

Figures 2b and 2d show the direction of flow of water or contaminated liquid with arrows not filled in to aid understanding. Figure 2d which is a cross section through the main outlet 9 in Figure 2b. Although not required for certain applications, Figures 2a through 2d use an automatic backwash mechanism 11 that is actuated by some type of electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic motor 12. The direction of backwash flow velocity is shown in Figures 2b. to 2c with filled arrows. As shown, the backwash flow is safely evacuated through a backwash outlet 10.

The arrangement of the hollow filter element 1 acts to divert the flow of water or contaminated liquid in a generally perpendicular or radial direction towards and across the filter element surface of each filter element. Since the surface area of the filter element is preferably greater in area than the total cross-sectional area of the filter element inlets or outlets to the hollow filter element, the velocity of water or liquid is significantly reduced in the vicinity of the filter element. the surface of the filter element. This leads to a number of benefits, including those described above.

It should be noted that Figures 2a to 2d illustrate the invention installed as a new process apparatus having a single filter element. Multiple filter elements can easily be installed in a common housing having a common main inlet and main outlet. Figures 2a to 2d also illustrate a filter element having a circular cross section in order to optimize and simplify the design of the automatic backwash mechanism, however it will be recognized from the teaching of the present invention that other filtration cross sections and may even be flat.

Figure 2e illustrates the particular arrangement described in Figure 1g in more detail. In this case, the arrangement of figure 1g is installed in a housing 7 that has two main inlets 8 and one main outlet 9 where the contaminated water or liquid enters and leaves. The filter element 1 is arranged so that the flow of polluted water is from the inside of the filter element to the outside of the filter element. However, the reverse arrangement could also be true. The electrode group in this case is arranged so that once it passes through the filter element 1, the flow of water or contaminated liquid first encounters a negative cathode 3, then a positive anode 2, and then a negative cathode 3. Multiple electrolysis zones 4 between positive anode 2 and negative cathodes 3 are highlighted. Electrical connections are not shown and drawing dimensions are exaggerated for clarity.

Figure 2f shows the direction of the flow of water or contaminated liquid with unfilled arrows to aid understanding. In this particular example, an automatic backwash mechanism is not used and either manual disassembly and cleaning or reverse flow flushing can be used to clean the filter element.

The arrangement of the filter element 1 acts to divert the flow of contaminated water or liquid in a generally perpendicular or radial direction towards and across the filter element surface of the filter element. Since the surface area of the filter element is preferably greater in area than the total cross-sectional area of the filter element inlets or outlets to the hollow filter element, the velocity of water or liquid is significantly reduced in the vicinity of the filter element. the surface of the filter element. This leads to the benefits described above.

It should be noted that Figures 2e to 2f illustrate the invention installed as a new process apparatus having a single filter element. Multiple filter elements can advantageously be easily installed in a common housing having a common main inlet and main outlet. Figures 2e to 2f also illustrate a filter element having a circular cross section in order to optimize and simplify the design of the new process apparatus. Other filter cross sections can be used and can even be flat.

Figure 3 provides an example of how the new process apparatus 13 can be configured in a treatment process for treating liquids or contaminated water with very high or very low flow rates.

In this example, the new process apparatus 13 is linked to a control system such as a PLC or PC 15. This allows sequences of operation, status messages, and alarms to be controlled. The treatment process comprises means for applying a voltage 14 across the positive anode and negative cathode and means for supplying a direct current (DC) to the pair or pairs of electrodes or groups of electrodes. The means for applying the voltage and current may be provided by a conventional rectifier or some other method.

The treatment process may preferably incorporate a mechanism for cleaning the electrodes of the new process apparatus. In particular, to clean the cathode of unwanted cathode deposits typically found in electrolytic cells of this nature. This can be achieved by polarity reversal (PR) as shown by the dual ve and -ve connections in Figure 3 or by a dedicated CIP unit 16.

A chemical measurement device, for example a chlorine measurement device or TRO 21, can be incorporated to continuously monitor any residual chemical concentration or other variables following the novel process apparatus and adjustments can be made automatically to electrical voltage and current applied, depending on local contaminated water or liquid conditions.

Pressure, flow rate, temperature, pH and conductivity and other variables of contaminated water or liquid can also be measured at various locations 20 and the control system can automatically actuate to switch between different pairs or sets of electrodes, for example, ^d S ^a or BDD anodes when necessary, as described above, or adjust the voltage and current as necessary. Or occasionally, it may be desirable to adjust the conductivity or pH or other properties of the water or liquid contaminated with additives or neutralizer unit 19 before it enters the new process apparatus.

Additional components 22 can be added to the treatment process to condition, remove, or improve the treatment process, such as the addition of a hydrogen removal system (or removal of other substances) or the addition of a vacuum pump 17 to the treatment process. backwash filtration process that effectively increases the pressure differential used in the automatic backwash process and therefore its cleaning ability. As mentioned above, if the backwash stream contains unwanted residual chemicals, an appropriate neutralization component 18 can be included to neutralize the backwash stream on demand prior to disposal.

It will be recognized for the benefit of the teaching of the present application that features of any of the aspects of the inventions described herein may be conveniently used in any suitable combination. The combinations of claims set forth below, however, limit the scope of the invention.

In addition, the apparatus can be adapted such that the circumferential dimension of the electrically insulating spacers described above can be manually or automatically adjusted, both uniformly and non-uniformly. By increasing/reducing the dimension of the respective electrically insulating spacers, it is possible to increase/reduce the velocity of the water or liquid and therefore the turbulence in the discrete radial flow paths. Turbulence surprisingly improves the performance of the apparatus within electrolysis zones by increasing mass transfer and chemical reactions.

While the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the example embodiments or constructions: rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.

Claims (26)

1. Process apparatus for the treatment of contaminated water or liquid, the process apparatus that includes: at least one filter element (1), the filter element (1) being an elongated hollow semi-permeable member arranged to remove organisms, organic or non-organic contaminants from a liquid or contaminated water above a defined filtration size specification when is it used; at least one anode (2); and at least one cathode (3); where the at least one anode (2) and the at least one cathode (3) are semi-permeable so that the liquid can pass through them; where the anode (2) and the cathode (3) are arranged radially and concentrically with respect to the filter element (1); where the processing apparatus further comprises an electrical supply arranged in use to generate a potential difference and an electrical current between the at least one anode (2) and an adjacent cathode (3) to activate them; and where at least one anode (2) and one cathode (3) are elongated and each is arranged circumferentially and radially around the filter element (1) such that, in use, liquid flows into the process apparatus at through one or both ends of the filter element (1) and radially outward through a wall of the filter element (1). Process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein adjacent anodes (2) and cathodes (2) alternate between the cathode (3) and an anode (2) to define an electrolysis zone between them. Process apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the sequence of anode (2) and cathode (3) when viewed radially outward from the filter element (1) is selected from the following: (1) Cathode (3), Anode (2); (ii) Anode (2), Cathode (3); (iii) Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2); (iv) Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3); (v) Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3); (vi) Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2); (vii) Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3); either (viii) Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2), Cathode (3), Anode (2). Process apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter element (1) is a water or seawater filter element. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the anode (2) and/or cathode (3) extend around substantially the entire circumference of an adjacent anode (2) or cathode (3). Process apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein circumferentially the anode/cathode (2/3) are divided into discrete sections by means of electrically insulating spacers (5); and adjacent anodes (2) and cathodes (3) extend between adjacent electrical insulating spacers (5). Process apparatus according to claim 6, wherein electrical isolating spacers (5) are provided dividing the apparatus into 2 or more discrete radial flow paths. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein one or both ends of the filter element (1) is/are open and arranged in use to allow liquid to flow therethrough. 9. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the spacing of adjacent anodes (2) and cathodes (3) is between 0.1 and 20 mm. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising pairs of adjacent anodes (2) and cathode (3) defining pairs or groups of electrodes; and where the pairs or groups of electrodes can be independently and selectively electrically activated. 11. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the polarity of an electrical supply to at least one anode (2) and cathode (3) is reversible to cause an opposite potential difference and an electrical current between an anode ( 2) and a respective cathode (3). Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one anode (2) is formed by a conductive substrate and an external coating. Process apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the anode (2) is a dimensionally stable anode (2) formed by a substrate coated with precious metals selected from platinum, gold, silver or a mixed metal oxide solution. Process apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the anode (2) is a boron-doped diamond anode formed from a boron-doped diamond-coated substrate. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one cathode (3) is formed by a conductive substrate and optionally an external coating. Process apparatus according to any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the anode substrate and/or cladding material for one pair or group of electrodes are the same or different from the anode substrate and/or cladding material for another pair. or group of electrodes. Process apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cathode substrate and/or coating material for one pair or group of electrodes are the same or different from the cathode substrate and/or coating material for another pair or group. of electrodes. Process apparatus according to claim 12 when dependent on any of claims 10 to 11, wherein the anode substrate and/or coating material for an electrode are the same or different from the cathode substrate and/or coating material. coating of another pair or group of electrodes. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, the apparatus comprises a controller arranged to control electrical activation of the at least one anode (2) and cathode (3); and at least one detector arranged to measure a property of a liquid flowing through the apparatus, wherein the controller is adapted to independently control the anodes (2) and cathodes (3) in response to a signal received from said detector. . Process apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the detector is adapted to detect the conductivity of the liquid. 21. Process apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the detector is adapted to detect residual concentrations of selected oxidant chemicals in the water or liquid including such as fluorine, hydroxyl free radicals, forms of oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorite, chlorine and total residual oxidants. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of filter elements (1) and a plurality of cathode (3) and anode (2) pairs associated therewith. Process apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising a single filter element (1) and associated anodes (2) and cathodes (3) and further comprising a housing (7) having an inlet (8) and an outlet (9) and adapted to communicate liquid from said inlet (8) through the filter element (1), through or proximate the anodes (2) and cathodes (3), and to said outlet (9). Process apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 22, comprising a plurality of filter elements (1) and associated anodes (2) and cathode (3) and further comprising a housing (7) having a inlet (8) and an outlet (9) and adapted to communicate liquid from the inlet (7) through the plurality of filter elements (1), through or near anodes (2) and cathodes (3), at the exit (9). The process apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the circumferential dimension of the electrically insulating spacers (5) can be manually or automatically increased/decreased to increase/decrease liquid velocity and/or turbulence in discrete radial flow paths. A method of processing a liquid by causing a liquid to pass through an apparatus according to any preceding claim.